|
How You
Can Preserve Cut Flowers |
You can preserve
the fresh beauty of flowers for years in their natural vivid
colors without a great deal of work or expense.
Simply mix
a combination of four parts of borax to one part of silica gel.
You can make your mixture by hand; the borax should be run through
a sieve before mixing with the gel to remove any lumps.
- You should
treat all of the flowers to be preserved immediately after picking.
Cut off the stems close to the base of the flower. In the bottom
of a plastic bag or an air-tight jar put down a layer of the
preserving powder and lay a blossom face down on the powder.
Pour some additional powder over the flower until it is well
covered. Then lay another flower face down and cover it, repeating
the procedure until the bag or jar is full.
Put on your lid, or if using a bag, press down on it lightly
to squeeze out all the air. Tie the bag tightly with string as
close to the contents as possible to prevent air from coming
in.
Now put your
flowers and powder mixture away in a dry place for about four
weeks without peeking at it. Never store it out of doors.
- At the end
of the four weeks, open the container very gently and remove
the blossoms one at a time, blowing the powder off them.
You may make a stem by running a piece of florist's wire through
the lower side of each blossom. Now you have preserved flowers
in their garden freshness.
A good method
of prolonging the life of cut flowers is to put a small amount
of ammonium chloride, postassium nitrate, sodium carbonate or
camphor in the water into which the flower stems are inserted.
One or more of these drugs will keep the flowers fresh by working
to oppose germ growth and stimulate the cells. This method is,
however, not permanent like the borax and gel solution.
Preserving
flowers can help you save your memories of a wedding corsage
or a gift bouquet forever. |
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